Trademark: Academy Awards‍ ‍

First Used: 1928

Registered: 1977

Current Owner: ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES [1]

Trademark Type: traditional trademark; word mark; design mark

Primarily Associated With: educational and entertainment services rendered through the medium of an annual live, television program dealing with motion pictures [2]

Brief (and likely incomplete) History [3]:

The ACADEMY AWARDS® [4] (or OSCAR® [5], OSCARS® [6], or OSCAR NIGHT® [7], if you prefer) is an annual awards show recognizing outstanding achievements in movies. The awards show always brings out the biggest stars in the entertainment industry, some of whom may be trying to cap off, or start, an EGOT (EMMY®, GRAMMY®, OSCAR®, TONY®), or are coming off a win or nomination at the GOLDEN GLOBES®.

The first Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1929, at the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, honoring films released between August 1, 1927, and July 31, 1928. Unlike today’s broadcast, red carpet, and acceptance-speech marathon, the first ceremony was a private dinner for about 270 guests, and the winners had already been announced in advance. The first ceremony included 12 award categories, with Wings taking home the inaugural Outstanding Picture award.

The awards ceremony has undergone a number of changes over the years. Beginning in 1940, the winners’ names have been kept a closely guarded secret until the official announcement at the awards ceremony itself. In 1944, the ceremony moved away from its original banquet-style format and was staged in a large public theater for the first time, marking the beginning of the modern stage-show presentation. The 25th Academy Awards in 1953 became the first ceremony to be televised, transforming the event from an industry gathering into a nationwide broadcast spectacle. In the decades that followed, additional traditions were layered in, including the now-famous red carpet arrivals beginning in 1961 and the first color television broadcast in 1966.

As of the 98th Academy Awards (2026), more than 3,000 Oscar statuettes have been handed out across nearly a century of ceremonies. The most decorated individual in Oscar history? Walt Disney, who took home 22 competitive Academy Awards (plus four honorary Oscars). In the major creative categories, John Ford holds the record for most Best Director wins with four, Katharine Hepburn leads the acting world with four Best Actress wins, and Daniel Day-Lewis stands alone in Best Actor with three victories. And when it comes to running the show, Bob Hope is the undisputed emcee champion, hosting the ceremony 19 times (all between 1940 and 1978).

What about the famous Oscar trophy itself? Officially, it is the “Academy Award of Merit,” but the world knows it as the Oscar trophy. The Academy says the nickname’s true origin is unclear, though one enduring story is that Academy librarian Margaret Herrick said the statuette resembled her Uncle Oscar. The statuette was originally designed by MGM art director Cedric Gibbons, then sculpted by George Stanley. It depicts a knight holding a sword and standing on a film reel, with the reel’s five spokes representing the Academy’s original five branches: actors, directors, producers, technicians, and writers. The design has remained essentially the same since the beginning, though the base was standardized in 1945. During World War II, due to metal shortages, Oscar trophies were briefly made of painted plaster for three years before recipients later exchanged them for gold-plated metal versions.

While the Academy does not own any non-traditional trademark registrations protecting the shape or configuration of the Oscar trophy (they should!), the Academy does own a few design mark registrations for the Oscar trophy, including the Oscars Trophy Logo for both books and entertainment services [8] and clothing [9] and the OSCARS Logo for candles; magnets and mounts for smartphones; cars, pens, and stickers; mugs; clothing and caps; and ornamental novelty buttons.